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Let's turn with me in your Bibles 
to 1 Samuel chapter 17. Continuing in our study in the 
life of David, we find him in the valley of Elah facing the 
Philistine giant Goliath. We looked at verses 1 to 37 last 
week. We'll take up the rest of the 
chapter this evening, but I do want to begin reading in verse 
20 just to remind us of where we're at in the context. So beginning 
in 1 Samuel chapter 17 at verse 20. So David rose early in the 
morning, left the sheep with the keeper, and took the things 
and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp 
as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the 
battle. For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, 
army against army. And David left his supplies in 
the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and 
greeted his brothers. Then as he talked with them, 
there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming 
up from the armies of the Philistines, and he spoke according to the 
same words. So David heard them, and all 
the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and 
were dreadfully afraid. So the men of Israel said, have 
you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to 
defy Israel, and it shall be that the man who kills him, the 
king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter and 
give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel. Then David 
spoke to the man who stood by him saying, what shall be done 
for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from 
Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy 
the armies of the living God? And the people answered him in 
this manner, saying, So shall it be done for the man who kills 
him. Now Eliab, his oldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men. 
And Eliab's anger was aroused against David, and he said, Why 
did you come down here? And with whom have you left those 
few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence 
of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle. And David 
said, What have I done now? Is there not a cause? Then he 
turned from him toward another and said the same thing. And 
these people answered him as the first ones did. Now when 
the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to 
Saul, and he sent for him. Then David said to Saul, Let 
no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and 
fight with his Philistine. And Saul said to David, You are 
not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are 
youth, and he a man of war from his youth. But David said to 
Saul, Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when 
a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went 
out after it and struck it and delivered the lamb from its mouth. 
And when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard and 
struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both 
lion and bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of 
them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. Moreover, 
David said, The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and 
from the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand 
of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and 
the Lord be with you. So Saul clothed David with his 
armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head. He also clothed 
him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his 
armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David 
said to Saul, I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested 
them. So David took them off. Then he took his staff in his 
hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, 
and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, 
and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 
So the Philistine came and began drawing near to David, and the 
man who bore the shield went before him. And when the Philistine 
looked about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only 
a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, 
Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine 
cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, 
Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air 
and the beasts of the field. Then David said to the Philistine, 
You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. 
But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God 
of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. This day the 
Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and 
take your head from you. And this day I will give the 
carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the 
air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may 
know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall 
know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear for the 
battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands. So it 
was when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet 
David that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the 
Philistine. Then David put his hand in his 
bag and took out a stone and he slung it and struck the Philistine 
in his forehead so that the stone sank into his forehead and he 
fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine 
with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed 
him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore 
David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and 
drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head 
with it. And when the Philistines saw 
that their champion was dead, they fled. Now the men of Israel 
and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far 
as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And 
the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Sherem, 
even as far as Gath and Ekron. Then the children of Israel returned 
from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. 
And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to 
Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. When Saul saw David 
going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander 
of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, 
As your soul lives, O king, I do not know. So the king said, Inquire 
whose son this young man is. Then, as David returned from 
the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him 
before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And 
Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? So David answered, 
I am the son of your servant Jesse, the Bethlehemite. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your written word. We thank you for this life 
of David and for the grace of God that is so clearly manifested 
in his life. We ask, Father, that You would 
guide us now by Your Holy Spirit, that You would encourage our 
hearts, that we would see that You are the God of absolute sovereignty, 
of unrivaled majesty, a God of glory and power, the true and 
living God, as the Bible so clearly states. And we ask that you would 
give us that grace to find great comfort in you, give us that 
grace to live in a manner that is consistent with your word, 
and give us faith, Lord God, to believe not only on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, which you've enabled us to do for our justification, 
but may we live lives exhibiting faith in our great and living 
and true God. Forgive us again for all of our 
sins now, fill us with your Holy Spirit, and we ask through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, we saw last week 
how this Philistine giant was taunting the armies of the living 
and true God. And we also saw how the armies 
of the living and true God were very fearful. The children of 
Israel were quivering with fear. They were in fear dreadfully 
with reference to this particular giant. And it wasn't just the 
armies of Israel, but it was also the king of Israel, namely 
Saul. So David is sent on a mission 
by his father Jesse to deliver some food to the front, to check 
on the status of his brothers, and then to bring back word to 
Jesse. But instead, he's out there, and he hears the blathering 
of this giant, and he makes this statement that we see. The first 
words that David speaks in all of Scripture is found in verse 
26. What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine 
and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised 
Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? 
He is incredulous at what is transpiring. He is absolutely 
shocked that this is being allowed to continue. And so David presents 
himself as an able warrior that will be able to do battle with 
this man, Goliath. That drops us down to about verse 
33 or verse 31. So it says, when the words which 
David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul and he 
sent for him. Then David said to Saul, let no man's heart fail 
because of him. Your servant will go and fight 
with this Philistine. So he formally presents himself 
to the king and says that he's willing to take on the task. 
And of course, Saul says, but you're just a youth. And this 
man from his youth has been a mighty warrior. And David shows, or 
David demonstrates, the source of his strength. He doesn't say, 
I'm a strong guy, I lift a lot of weights, I eat a lot of protein, 
and I'm the man fit for service. No, we see how God had delivered 
him in his task as a shepherd. And then specifically in verse 
37, he says, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and 
from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand 
of this Philistine. So he serves the true and living 
God, and as a result, he walks by faith in that God, and therefore 
he's going to engage in these mighty exploits for God. So that 
brings us now to the actual battle with Goliath in verses 37 to 
54. It's the first head that we'll 
look at, and then secondly, the identity of the warrior's father 
in verses 55 to 58. But under the battle with Goliath, 
we have five things we want to look at. First, the preparation 
for battle. Secondly, the meeting between 
the warriors. Third, the declaration of David. Fourth, the victory 
of David over Goliath. And then fifth, the victory of 
Israel over the Philistines. So let's look first of all at 
the preparation for battle in 37b to 40. So Saul gives him 
his permission, verse 37b, Saul said to David, go and the Lord 
be with you. Now, after the blessing of Saul, 
he arms David. This is absolutely crucial to 
go into battle against a Philistine giant. You need armor. You need 
battle. David is a man who trusts in 
God, but he also keeps his powder dry. And while he doesn't use 
the particular armor that is supplied to him by Saul, he doesn't 
go without anything into the battle. He goes with his sling 
and these five smooth stones. But this particular armament 
was not to his liking because it wasn't tested. He is a man 
dependent upon God. He is a man who lives by faith, 
and that faith and that dependence determines him to have wisdom. 
He's not going to enter battle unprepared or ill-prepared. He 
wants to go into battle as prepared as he is able because he's not 
a fool. Faith does not reduce us to the 
level of ignorance. Faith, rather, enables us to 
walk wisely before our living and true God. Faith engenders 
courage. It also engenders wisdom. And 
we need wisdom for the various battles that we confront in this 
particular world. Now notice the selection of these 
five smooth stones in verse 40. He took his staff in his hand 
and he chose for himself five smooth stones. He's not presumptuous. He doesn't just choose one. Though, 
as I mentioned this morning, David cannot entertain the thought 
that he's going to lose this exchange. He has that confidence 
in God that just as God delivered him from the lion and just as 
God delivered him from the bear, God is going to deliver him from 
this dog, this Philistine giant, that is taunting the armies of 
the living and the true God. So he takes up these five smooth 
stones and puts them in the pouch. Now, such stones would range 
from about two to three inches in diameter. We might hear this 
and we might be a bit surprised. Is this a good and competent 
weapon to take into battle against a man who's nine feet, nine inches 
tall, who has 126 pounds of armor? He has a sword with a 15 to 16 
pound iron head. I mean, he is a giant. He is 
a big fellow. He is armed to the teeth, and 
he is a warrior trained from his youth. And so when we look 
at this, we might be a bit puzzled. But they were two to three inches 
in diameter, and when flung by an accomplished warrior, could 
reach speeds of 100 to 150 miles per hour, all of which could 
make for a stunning victory, which is obviously what we see 
here, because God blesses the stone. It finds its place in 
the giant's forehead, and it kills him. Now notice secondly 
the meeting between the warriors, verses 41 to 44. Verse 41, so 
the Philistine came and began drawing near to David, and the 
man who bore the shield went before him. So now in this valley 
of Elah, I mean the scene is just incredible. You've got this 
young shepherd that comes out now to face the best and the 
strongest of the Philistine army. And we see the uncircumcised 
man taunts David in verses 42 to 44. In the first place, he 
disdains him. Notice what it says there in 
verses 42 and 43. And when the Philistine looked 
about and saw David, he disdained him for he was only a youth, 
ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, 
am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? It was an insult 
as far as Goliath is concerned. Goliath, again, is the champion 
of the Philistine army. And instead of Israel facing 
him with their champion of their army, they have a man that's 
not even in the army. They have a young man that's 
a shepherd, a pretty boy at that, and he has come out to meet him 
on the field of battle. That is an insult to Goliath. 
Now, ultimately, he's going to eat that insult. Ultimately, 
he is going to face the reality that David was more than adequate 
for the task at hand. John Gill says he looked about 
for his antagonist to take a view of him. What sort of a man he 
was, expecting to see one much like himself. That would have 
been what he expected. He would have expected the biggest 
and the best of Israel's army to face him in the battle. But 
then he goes on to say, but observing a puny young man, he despised 
him in his heart and perhaps looked upon it as an affront 
to him to send such a man to fight with him. A modern commentator, 
Robert Alter, describes it this way, a mere boy and egregiously 
red-headed pretty boy at that. This is precisely the order of 
the original syntax arranged to mimic Goliath's perceptions. 
Has been sent to do battle with the mightiest Philistine warrior. It was an insult to Goliath that 
David was the man offered up by Israel to do battle with him. And then notice that he curses 
him by his gods. Verse 43, and the Philistine 
cursed David by his gods. You need to understand that when 
David drops Goliath, it is not only a judgment of God on the 
armies of the Philistines or on the Philistines themselves, 
but as well upon their gods. He cursed David by his gods. Obviously, his gods didn't get 
the message. Obviously, his gods didn't respond 
to the message. Obviously, his gods were not 
the true and living God. Remember, in Exodus chapter 12, 
one of the reasons for the Exodus is not only judgment upon Egypt, 
but also upon the gods of Egypt. Remember, we're dealing with 
idolaters and the Lord Most High is demonstrating that he is in 
fact the true and the living God. So when he curses him by 
his gods, for instance, Dagon, he was a popular God among the 
Philistines. Well, Dagon can't hear. Dagon 
can't respond. Dagon can't answer, and Dagon 
certainly can't curse, because Dagon is a fake. And so this 
statement by our narrator shows us that it's not just an earthly 
exchange, but rather it is an indictment upon the folly of 
idolatry engaged in by those outside of Israel. Those who 
do not have the true and living God can appeal to their gods 
all they want, but they will never get the response. They 
will never get the answer. Remember that scene at Mount 
Carmel in 1 Kings chapter 18, when Elijah goes up against those 
false prophets. They carry on in a frenzy. They 
gash themselves. They cut themselves. They bleed 
on themselves, trying to appeal to Baal so that Baal will bring 
fire down to accept the sacrifice that had been offered up. But 
there was no voice. There was no answer. There was 
no response. Why? Because there's no Baal. The 
emphasis in the passage is not on us slaying our giants. The emphasis in the passage is 
on us understanding who the true and living God is. In fact, what 
David is engaged in is not simply dispensing with an enemy of the 
armies of Israel, but it's a theological endeavor. It's a theological 
enterprise, and that's what verses 46 and 47 highlight and indicate. But before we move on, notice 
that he boasts of his coming victory in verse 44. The Philistine 
said to David, come to me, and I will give your flesh to the 
birds of the air and the beasts of the field. As mentioned earlier, 
David doesn't entertain for a moment the thought that he's going to 
lose. Neither does Goliath. Goliath thinks as far as he is 
concerned, this is going to be a quick work. This is going to 
be very simple. This is a young man. This is 
a ruddy man. This is a redheaded man. The 
language is suggestive there. And this is a man that is not 
worthy of my stature. So I'm going to dispense with 
him immediately, and then I'm going to go after the rest of 
the armies of Israel. He is confident, David is confident, 
but David's confidence does not lie in David, it lies in the 
true and living God. So let's look thirdly at the 
declaration of David in verses 45 to 47. Notice the statement 
concerning his strength. Verse 45, Then David said to 
the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and 
with a javelin. But I come to you in the name 
of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom 
you have defied. See, it's not just that the Philistine 
giant engages in trash talk. David is meeting him with it 
in kind. David is bringing it to bear 
upon him as well. He acknowledges the armament 
that the giant brings to this battle, but he says, I come in 
the name of the living and true God. Again, David is consistent. David is consistent throughout 
his life. He's not a perfect man. He's not a sinless man, 
but he rather is a sincere man with reference to the true and 
living God. He knows that God delivered him with reference 
to the lion and the bear, and he knows that God will deliver 
him with reference to this Philistine giant. So this statement, again, 
underscores the reality that David walks by faith. David is 
not a self-actualized man. He's not a self-sufficient man. 
He's not a self-dependent man, but he's a God-dependent man, 
and that faith that he has is the backdrop for the courage 
that he has and the wisdom. Now notice the promise concerning 
his victory in verse 46. This day the Lord will deliver 
you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head 
from you. If the very presence of David 
was an insult to Goliath, what do you think these words did 
to him? I'm sure he was not happy or thrilled whatsoever with the 
trash talk given him by King David of Israel. And so when 
he hears this, he's probably incensed. He's probably outraged. He is probably looking with incredulity 
as well. The same sort of incredulity 
that David had initially. Who is this uncircumcised man 
taunting the armies of the living God? Turn that over now to Goliath. He is hearing this young man 
mock him. He is hearing this young man 
promise to kill him on the field of battle. He is probably most 
definitely outraged by what is happening in this instance. But 
you know what? That wouldn't deter David. You 
know, sometimes when the opponent gets angrier, and the opponent 
seems more menacing, and the opponent seems more strong and 
vicious, that might present a time for the person to cower or back 
down. But what does David say? when 
the lion and when the bear attacked the sheep. David took the sheep 
out of the very mouths of the lion and the bear. When the lion 
and the bear were at their most vicious, when they could taste 
the blood of the sheep going down into the throat, when they 
got a taste, as it were, for that, David nevertheless opened 
up those animals' jaws and took his sheep back and then killed 
those animals. So the blathering giant and his 
newfound anger and incredulity doesn't shake David. David is 
there in the name of the living and true God, and David is not 
going to back down. And brethren, this is why I say, 
with reference to this particular passage, we need to understand 
where our strength lies. The Apostle Paul tells us in 
Philippians chapter 2 that we're to shine as lights in a crooked 
and perverse generation. and that we're to hold forth 
the word of truth. Now, when we look at ourselves, 
we don't see courage, we don't see bravery, we don't see ability 
to get in the faces of those enemies of the Lord and to oppose 
them, but God gives grace. Remember the mighty apostle Paul 
himself in Ephesians chapter six asks for prayer for himself, 
that boldness would be given to him, that he would speak the 
gospel as he ought to speak. So Paul wasn't a naturally mighty 
man. But rather, Paul was dependent 
upon the living and true God. He had faith in God, and that 
engendered the courage that Paul had to face the pagans, to face 
the Jews in the synagogue, to say what he says there. In Acts 
chapter 21, there at verse 14, he says, I'm ready to go to Jerusalem, 
not only to be bound, but also to die for the name of the Lord 
Jesus. Well, how do we explain that? It's not because Paul is 
great, but it's because Paul's Christ is great. Paul's God is 
great. It's not because David is great, 
but it's because the true and living God is great. And that's 
the emphasis in the passage. Now notice the very lessons to 
be learned at the end of this particular contest. And verses 
46 and 47 is the very purpose. This is the center. This is what 
you need to take away from this particular passage. People read 
this and they say, well, you've got this Goliath in your life. 
Perhaps you're being bullied on the school ground. Well, you 
need to be a David and face up to it. That might be true, but 
that's not what this story is about. The story is about demonstrating 
who the true and living God is, underscoring as well that Dagon 
ain't, that it's Yahweh of Israel. Notice. The fact that David doesn't 
even entertain the thought that he will lose. Verse 46, This 
day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike 
you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the 
carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the 
air and the wild beasts of the earth. Notice that it's not just 
you, Goliath, it's the Philistines. David ain't going for just that 
one man. He's got the whole Philistine 
army in his sight. And then notice that, verse 46, 
that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. These 
Philistines were idolaters. These Philistines bowed to Dagon. 
These Philistines had a plethora of false gods. And so what Yahweh 
is teaching in this endeavor is, again, a theological lesson. There is but one only, the true 
and living God. And His name is Yahweh, and He 
is the God of Israel. And that is a lesson that was 
supposed to be learned by these Philistines as a result of David's 
victory. But it's not only that. Notice 
in verse 47, then all this assembly. So David moves from the Philistines, 
the idolaters out there, to the assembly, to the armies of Israel. to the children of Israel. Remember 
their posture up until this point? They're cowering in fear. They 
have a dreadful fear of this Philistine giant and the rest 
of the armies of the Philistines. Saul, their leader, you can't 
call him a fearless leader. Rather, he is a fearful leader. 
So David understands that not only does the Philistines need 
tutelage, but so does Israel. And that's what he speaks to 
there in verse 47. then all this assembly shall 
know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the 
battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands." 
I mean, isn't that the message that Israel needed always, but 
so often forgot? They began to think, at times, 
that they were living on their own. that there was no true and 
living God, that it all depended upon them. If you doubt that, 
read the former prophets. Read from 1st Judges all the 
way to 2nd Kings. Well, Joshua to 2nd Kings. You 
will see, in many instances, the problem with Israel is that 
they functioned or conducted themselves as practical atheists. They forgot the true and living 
God, and they tried to do things in their own strength. And as 
far as David is concerned, what he has surmised as he's looked 
upon this scene, as he has come upon this scene and met a fearful 
soul and fearful armies, and he has had that incredulity that 
this uncircumcised is taunting the armies of the living God. 
David understands they need a refresher. They need a new lesson. They 
need a new help in terms of strengthening their own faith so that this 
will never happen again. Israel understands or must understand 
that they live under the guidance of a sovereign God, a majestic 
God, a glorious God, the true and living God. And that is precisely 
what he underscores in this particular instance. The Lord's power oftentimes, 
as we see displayed here, is demonstrated through the weakness 
of Israel. Then all this assembly shall 
know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the 
battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands." 
Now, understand, brethren, that that does not mean that God always 
sends His people into battle without sword and spear. It means 
the emphasis isn't upon sword and spear. The emphasis is upon 
the living and true God. to guide the sword, to guide 
the spear, to guide the one smooth stone that flies out of David's 
sling into the head of this giant, this Philistine giant. Davis 
makes this observation. It's a bit of a lengthy quote, 
but I think it captures much of what's happening in the section. 
This theme of weakness, that's what is essentially exhibited 
here. that all the earth may know that 
there is a God in Israel, then all this assembly shall know 
that the Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the battle 
is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands." In other 
words, it's not dependent upon your armament. It's not dependent 
upon your savvy. It's not dependent upon your 
ability. It is dependent upon the true 
and living God. God can take weak things and do great things 
through them. So Davis says, this theme of 
weakness has been building throughout the chapter. All the important 
people regard David as weak. If we might colloquialize, Eliab 
tells him, you're a pain, verse 28. Saul warns, you're green, 
verse 33. And Goliath sneers, you're puny, 
verse 42. But he is the one God uses to 
deliver. Nor does David have the right 
equipment. He refuses to be a little Goliath and lays aside Saul's 
armor and sword. He insults Goliath with his staff. But he demonstrates that God 
brings deliverance without the symbols of man's strength. That 
is excellent. That's what the Bible is about. 
My strength is made evident through your weakness, he says to the 
Apostle Paul. What matters is not whether you 
have the best weapons. This is important. Now, having 
said that, get the best weapons. But what matters is not whether 
you have the best weapons, but whether you have the real God. 
That's the point! Who is this uncircumcised man 
taunting the armies of the living God? We cannot allow for that 
because this God is great and glorious. He says, in fact, your 
inadequacy may be precisely your qualification for serving God, 
for His strength shines most brightly behind the foreground 
of your weaknesses. That is a great observation in 
this particular section. If there were bets being conducted 
on that day, I'm sure the money went Goliath's direction. I'm 
sure nobody was saying, David, you know, 10 to 1 odds. No, they 
were all betting on the giant from Gath and Philistia. He was 
going to be the hands-down winner that nobody would ever doubt. 
And yet God the Lord uses David to manifest his own glory. Fourthly, 
notice the victory of David over Goliath. Now remember, Goliath 
is 9 feet 9 inches. He has 126 pounds of armor. He 
has a sword with a 15 to 16 pound iron head. Guess what you can't 
do when you're that big? Move quickly. Agility was not 
a skill set that the giant possessed. David, however, had agility. Again, it's not the case that 
we wander into battle without wisdom. We have faith, which 
engenders courage and also produces wisdom. Those who serve the true 
and living God seek wisdom. Remember when God comes to Solomon 
and says, what would you like? And Solomon says, I'd like wisdom. If I'm called upon to administrate 
the kingdom of God on earth, it is going to require a great 
deal of wisdom. God, the Lord rejoices over that. God says, wow, you didn't ask 
for cars. You didn't ask for boats. You 
didn't ask for summer homes. You asked for wisdom. That was 
a great blessing. And then the manifestation of 
the demonstration of that request, the fact that God had given it, 
was when the harlots came with the baby. And Solomon says, well, 
cut the baby in half. And obviously the mother says, 
no, don't do that. That was a great exhibition of the wisdom that 
God had given to Solomon in that instance. So David is wise, David 
is agile, and David is going to use that to his advantage. Notice the clunkiness of Goliath, 
I don't know if that's a word, and the speed of David. Verse 
48. So it was when the Philistine arose and came and drew near 
to meet David, that David hurried. Goliath couldn't hurry. Goliath, probably it was a task 
to get up. for him being that large and 
having all that armament, but David rather hurries and ran 
toward the army to meet the Philistine. Again, that's faith, not because 
he's great, but because the God that he serves is great. We see 
the blessing of God upon David's stone, verse 49. Then David put 
his hand in his bag and took out a stone, and he slung it 
and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone 
sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth." 
Again, imagine the face of Goliath at that particular point. He 
thought it was a shoe-in. Imagine all the onlookers. They 
thought it was a shoe-in. They thought it was a done deal. 
Slam dunk. Goliath will have the victory 
in no time flat. Well, this stone penetrates his 
forehead. And now this man, in his 9 feet 
9 inches, whatever weight he had, in addition to all the armament, 
falls down. It was probably a loud, crashing 
thud as he hits the earth. Now, notice the death of the 
uncircumcised Philistine in verses 50 and 51. Now, people suggest 
there's a contradiction here in the Bible, because verse 50 
says he killed him, and then verse 51 says he killed him. 
Do you think the author didn't recognize that? Do you think 
the author didn't identify that in verse 50 he wrote, he killed 
him, and then in verse 51 he wrote, he killed him? You think 
we're smarter than the man who actually wrote this narrative? 
We're not, brethren. It's the case that if somebody 
dies in the hospital four days after a car accident, we attribute 
the death to the car accident. even if he didn't die at the 
actual scene of the car accident. That's the way you need to understand 
verses 50 and 51. So David prevailed over the Philistine 
with a sling and a stone and struck the Philistine and killed 
him. He was as good as dead. He was as good as dead. He died 
at the scene. But there was no sword in the 
hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood 
over the Philistine, took his sword, and drew it out of its 
sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it." No contradiction, 
simply emphasizing and reiterating the death blow dealt to this 
Goliath, or this giant from Gath, by David under the hand and mercy 
of God Almighty. Now based on this, look at the 
victory fifthly of Israel over the Philistines. They're not 
so scared anymore. David's faith engendered courage on their part 
now that he's victorious over the giant. They were cowering, 
they were whining, they were grumbling, they were hiding behind 
Saul's skirts, and they would not go out to battle to face 
Goliath. Now that David has dispatched 
the giant, now they are emboldened to do what they should have done 
initially. Notice, the Philistines fled 
when they saw their headless champion lying on the ground. 
51b. And when the Philistines saw 
that their champion was dead, they fled. That makes sense, 
right? You beat the biggest and the 
strongest. That indicates that you are easy 
prey as well. So if Goliath couldn't face this 
man, then they themselves couldn't face this man, so they flee. 
Now the tables have turned. What was once the problem of 
Israel has become the problem of the Philistines. They are 
now fearful of this man with the sling. Notice as well, the 
Israelites give chase and they bring destruction upon the Philistine 
army. So it has a good end. I mean, 
we fault the Israelite army and Saul initially, but thankfully 
they did step up to the task. Now that David has dispatched 
the biggest foe, the biggest menace of them all, now the men 
of Israel, according to verse 52, and Judah arose and shouted 
and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley 
and to the gates of Ekron. and the wounded of the Philistines 
fell along the road to Sherem, even as far as Gath and Akron." 
Remember, this was a very strategically tactical battle. They needed 
to secure this valley of Elah, because if they had not, if the 
Philistines had won that day, They'd have open opportunity 
to enter into Israel anytime they wanted, and to do whatever 
mayhem and disservice to them that they wanted. So this was 
a great victory. Notice as well, the Israelites 
plundered the Philistines' tents. Back earlier in the chapter, 
Goliath had made this deal. He says, if you win, then we 
will be your servants. But if we win, then you will 
be our servants. Now that was trash talk. Goliath 
wasn't serious. But regardless of that, Israel's 
making good on that. Now they plunder the stuff that 
was the Philistines, because their man David bested the champion 
of the army of the Philistines. And then the victor brought Goliath's 
head to Jerusalem, according to verse 54. David took the head 
of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his 
armor in his tent. So there was a brief time when 
David is wandering around The area there carrying the head 
of Goliath. Now that brings us finally to 
consider the identity of the warrior's father. Again, persons 
suggest there is big problems with the narrative at this particular 
point. Saul already met David in 1 Samuel 16. Remember, it 
was David who played the harp to soothe Saul when the distressing 
spirit from the Lord came upon Saul. As well, Saul just spoke 
to David prior to David going into battle against Goliath. 
So why the question about David? It wasn't a question about David. 
It was a question about David's father. Remember the deal that 
was struck. If you go back to verse 25. So 
the men of Israel said, have you seen this man who has come 
up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel and it shall be that 
the man who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches, 
will give him his daughter and give his father's house exemption 
from taxes in Israel. So what we find in verses 55 
to 58 is the making good of that transaction, confirming who the 
father of David is. Yes, he had known earlier that 
it was Jesse the Bethlehemite that was the father of David. 
But Saul is the king of a country. I'm sure he meets lots of people, 
and perhaps for a moment may have forgot the specific parentage 
of this young warrior, David. So this is to affirm and confirm 
who the father of David was, so that the father of David could 
receive tax-exempt status. Isn't that interesting? That 
was a boon and a blessing in Old Covenant Israel. Tax-exempt 
status. Well, we know why, because in 
1 Samuel 8, when the people are whining for a king, Samuel tells 
them what kind of king they're going to get. And this king is 
going to exact a lot of taxes. You're going to pay a lot to 
have a king just like all the nations. And so it was a boon 
and a blessing to be granted tax-exempt status here in the 
nation of Israel. And that's what verses 55 to 
58 deal with. Notice at the end of verse 55, 
whose son is this youth? And then we go on, verse 56, 
so the king said, inquire whose son this young man is. Then as 
David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took 
him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine 
in his hand. And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young 
man? So David answered, I am the son of your servant, Jesse 
the Bethlehemite. Again, to enact that transaction 
to grant tax-exempt status to Jesse the Bethlehemite. Well, as we conclude, I want 
to draw out just a few lessons. In the first place, I think a 
very obvious lesson in the passage has to do with the advancement 
of God's kingdom. The advancement of God's kingdom 
depends upon God and not us. Now, certainly we are called 
as the Lord's agents or as the Lord's servants to do what we're 
supposed to do, but the promise of Matthew 16 ought to encourage 
our hearts. I will build my church, Jesus 
Christ says, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against 
it. Now that same Jesus who promises 
that in Matthew 16, at the end of Matthew's gospel in chapter 
28 says, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all things that 
I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, 
even to the end of the age. So Christ promises to build His 
church, He dispatches His church and gives them specific orders 
on how they're to do that, but ultimately the advancement of 
the kingdom depends upon Him. As we saw this morning, as our 
brother reminded us from 1 Corinthians chapter 2 this morning, it's 
a demonstration of the Spirit and power. So that when men have 
faith, they don't pat themselves on the back. So that when men 
are brought out of darkness into marvelous light, they don't congratulate 
themselves or congratulate the preacher, but rather they give 
glory and honor to God Almighty. The progress of the kingdom does 
not depend upon the experience or the strength of men. It doesn't 
depend upon our armament. It doesn't depend upon our strategy, 
our tactics, our ability, our ingenuity, or our wisdom. Again, 
not suggesting we should empty our minds and be ignoramuses, 
but rather we ought to realize it depends upon God's strength 
and not our own. and so that we will be dependent 
upon Him. The progress of the kingdom does 
depend upon the power of God Most High. David teaches that 
very conspicuously in this passage, and it's good for the people 
of God to get that. Secondly, we see in this particular 
chapter something of Genesis 3.15 coming to fruition. Genesis 
3.15 is what's called the proto-gospel, the first promise of the gospel. And it reads, I will put enmity 
between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. 
He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. Now, 
that is a glorious promise that is programmatic for the rest 
of Scripture. And what we learn in there is the identity of the 
seed. It's both collective and individual. The seed of Christ, 
the people of Christ, are considered the seed. But the seed singular 
is Jesus. The seed of the woman is the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 3.16 tells us that. The nature of the seed. He is 
a man born of a woman. as well the victory of the seed, 
he crushes the head of the serpent, and the means by which his victory 
would be achieved would be through the crushing of the head of the 
serpent, but in the midst, the seed would have his heel bruised. 
Now that refers to the suffering and the death of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. So Genesis 3.15 indicates in 
that one short space what is going to happen in the rest of 
Scripture. So it shouldn't surprise us, 
brethren, that in the history of Israel, when the enemies of 
Yahweh rise up against the children of Israel, that oftentimes fatal 
headshots are the way to dispatch those enemies. It furthers, or 
it illustrates, or it demonstrates something about the skull-crushing 
seed of the woman. There's just a couple instances 
I want to show you, and I would encourage you, as you read through 
the Old Testament, take note how many of the enemies of God, 
or when there's references to the enemies of God being dispatched, 
they suffer fatal head wounds. Turn to Judges for just a moment 
to see this in a couple of instances. The book of Judges. Judges chapter 
4. We have that instance of Jael, the sturdy young woman who, well, 
I don't know how young she was, but she was certainly sturdy. 
because she was able to drive a tent peg through Cicera's head. Notice in Judges 4 at verse, 
well, we'll go back to verse 17. However, Cicera had fled 
away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. 
For there was peace between Jabin, king of Hazor, and the house 
of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Cicera 
and said to him, turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me, do 
not fear. And when he had turned aside with her into the tent, 
she covered him with a blanket. Then he said to her, Please give 
me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty. So she opened a 
jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him. And he said 
to her, Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes 
and inquires of you and says, Is there any man here? You shall 
say no. Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg, and took a hammer 
in her hand, and went softly to him, and drove the peg into 
his temple. And it went down into the ground, 
for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And then as Barak 
pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, 
Come, I will show you the man whom you seek. And when he went 
into her tent, there lay Sisera dead with the peg in his temple. 
I'm not suggesting that Jael reflecting upon Genesis 3.15, 
So, you know, there's several ways I can dispatch this man, 
but I'm going to go ahead and choose the headshot. No, she 
killed him. She got rid of an enemy, a vicious, vile enemy 
of the children of Israel. But it was a fatal headshot. 
In the Song of Deborah, notice how Deborah refers to this in 
chapter 5 at verse 24. Most blessed among women is Jael, 
the wife of Heber the Kenite. Blessed is she among women in 
tents. He asked for water. She gave 
milk. She brought out cream in a lordly bowl. She stretched 
her hand to the tent peg, her right hand to the workman's hammer. 
She pounded Sisera. She pierced his head. She split 
and struck through his temple. At her feet he sank. He fell. 
He lay still. At her feet he sank. He fell. 
Where he sank, there he fell dead. I know I've rehearsed this 
recently, but just so you'll know and see that this isn't 
vicious, this isn't ungodly, this isn't the wrathful Yahweh 
of Israel doing these horrible things to innocent people. Look 
at what it goes on to say in verse 28. The mother of Sisera 
looked through the window and cried out through the lattice, 
Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarries the clatter 
of his chariots? Her wisest ladies answered her. 
Yes, she answered herself. Are they not finding and dividing 
the spoil? To every man a girl or two. To every man a girl or 
two. That means exactly what it says. 
Sisera was a vile enemy of God Most High and of the children 
of Israel. He deserved to be dispatched 
and he is so in such a way that reflects the promise of Genesis 
3.15. Turn over to Judges 9. There's 
this man called Abimelech, a man that would ultimately suffer 
a fatal head blow by a woman in a tower. If you look at chapter 
9, specifically at verses 53 and 56. What we'll pick up at 
verse 50. Then Abimelech went to Thebes and he encamped against 
Thebes and took it. But there was a strong tower 
in the city, and all the men and women, all the people of 
the city fled there and shut themselves in. Then they went 
up to the top of the tower. So Abimelech came as far as the 
tower and fought against it. And he drew near the door of 
the tower to burn it with fire. But a certain woman dropped an 
upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. Then 
he called quickly to the young man, his armor bearer, and said 
to him, draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me, a woman 
killed him. Too late. That's what we're saying. 
A woman killed you. So his young man thrust him through 
and he died. And when the men of Israel saw 
that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man to his place. Thus God repaid the wickedness 
of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his 
70 brothers. You see these headshots in the 
prophets. You see these headshots in the 
Psalter. You see these headshots all throughout. And again, I think it is building 
upon Genesis 3.15. The victory of God is decisive. The victory of God is complete. 
The victory of God is most excellent and appropriate for the particular 
cause at hand. And then thirdly, again, we've 
got to take from the passage the theological message. The 
passage is not about slaying your giants. The passage is not 
about the advanced military tactics of the shepherd warrior. The 
passage is summarized in David's declaration in verses 45 to 47. 
It is about the honor and glory of God, that the Philistines 
know this, that the Philistines learn this, and that the children 
of Israel, who are cowering in unbelief, the children of Israel, 
who are not manifesting courage, need a fresh dose of a view of 
Yahweh, so that they will not be reduced to this kind of folly, 
but rather they will meet the enemies of God, and they will 
do so with faith in God. And then finally, there is typology 
here. David is a type, obviously, of 
his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. David crushed the head of the 
enemy with a stone and a sword. Jesus crushed the head of the 
enemy at the cross. Turn to John's Gospel, John chapter 
12. The victory and the triumph of 
Jesus is consistent with what is written in Genesis 3.15, with 
what is typified in the fatal headshots that we find littered 
throughout scripture, vis-a-vis 1 Samuel 17 and the fact that 
Goliath had parted with his head via David. But with reference 
to our Lord Jesus, he deals that death blow to the devil through 
his own suffering and death. Remember, you will bruise his 
heel. What's the serpent do? The serpent 
bites the heel. That's where the serpent goes 
for. It's a fatal bite. So when Christ accomplishes His 
victory over this serpent, He does so through His own suffering 
and death. That's the means by which He 
crushes the head of the devil. Notice in John 12 at verse 30, 
Jesus answered and said, This voice did not come because of 
me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world. 
Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted 
up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself. This he 
said, signifying by what death he would die. How does Christ 
vanquish the enemy? He does so through his own suffering 
and death. And based on his own suffering 
and death, by which the ruler of this world will be cast out, 
notice verse 32, and I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will 
draw all peoples to myself. In other words, at the death 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, at the sufferings and the culmination 
in death, and then the resurrection from the dead, Christ has satisfied 
all that the Father had given Him, such that those who are 
oppressed, such as those that are in bondage to the devil, 
can find freedom, can find hope, can find liberty, and can find 
blessed joy. Notice in Colossians 2, the Apostle 
Paul indicates this selfsame thing. Colossians chapter 2. 
specifically at verse 11. Well, it's at verse 15, but we'll 
read the context. Verse 11, and him you were also 
circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by putting 
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of 
Christ, buried with him in baptism in which you also were raised 
with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him 
from the dead. And you being dead in your trespasses 
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made alive together 
with him. having forgiven you all trespasses, 
having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against 
us, which was contrary to us. And he has taken it out of the 
way, having nailed it to the cross, having disarmed principalities 
and powers. He made a public spectacle of 
them, triumphing over them in it. So the promise of Genesis 
3.15 is fulfilled along the way in the history of Israel with 
these fatal headshots dealt out to the enemies of God. But it 
culminates and is realized in the suffering and the death of 
the Son of Man for sinners. Notice Hebrews 2. Hebrews chapter 
2. Verse 14, inasmuch then as the 
children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise 
shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who 
had the power of death, that is, the devil. and release those 
who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to 
bondage. For indeed, he does not give 
aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, 
in all things he had to be made like his brethren, that he might 
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to 
God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in 
that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to 
aid those who are tempted. So Christ and his suffering and 
death opens the way of salvation to needy sinners. Please don't 
miss this. Please understand this. This 
is an extension of what David does in the Valley of Elah, or 
actually what David does in the Valley of Elah is typical of 
David's greater side, bringing the death blow upon the devil 
and the enemy of our soul. And then one final passage in 
1 John 3. 1 John chapter 3, verse 7. Little children, let no one 
deceive you. He who practices righteousness 
is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, 
for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose 
the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works 
of the devil. Isn't that a beautiful thought? 
So think about this. If you're not a believer here 
tonight, if you're not a Christian here tonight, take this data 
and understand that Christ is victorious. Christ is triumphant. There are enemies against the 
people of God, the devil being the chief. Christ has dealt with 
the devil. Another enemy that the people 
of God deal with is their own sin. Well, Christ deals with 
sin. In Him, we have redemption through 
His blood. The blood of Jesus Christ, His 
Son, cleanses us from all sin. So just as David was able to 
vanquish this menace, this threat that posed against the children 
of Israel, Christ has taken out of the way all those things that 
would hold his creatures down. So come to Christ, look to Christ 
in faith, believe on Christ for salvation. He cleanses you from 
sin. He releases you from the bondage 
of the devil. And that is a reality. If you 
are in your sin, you are bound to the devil. You may not acknowledge 
this. It may not be primary in your 
thoughts. But in Ephesians chapter 2, the 
apostle tells us that we all once walked according to the 
power of the Spirit that works in the sons of men." I don't 
want to misquote it. My mind just jumped off of there. But 
look at Ephesians 2, the before picture of salvation. The before 
picture in 2.1, "...and you He made alive who were dead in your 
trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to 
the course of this world according to the prince of the power of 
the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 
among whom also we once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our 
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, 
and were by nature children of wrath just as the others." So 
consider this threefold plight that you are in if you are not 
a believer tonight. You are lifeless, you are helpless, 
and you are hopeless. That is a horrible place. What's 
the antidote? What's the remedy? Look unto 
Jesus. Believe on Jesus. Stop looking 
to yourself. Stop looking to anything that 
you can do, but rather look unto Him who was raised up. Just like 
that serpent was raised up in the wilderness, all those Israelites 
bitten by the serpents looked and they lived. That's what scripture 
says. If you are in your sin, look 
unto Jesus and you will have everlasting life. Christ has 
accomplished decisive victory through His life, death, and 
resurrection. Now, may it be the case that 
sinners come to Him in faith and look to Him and find that 
blessedness that He holds forth. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we ask that You would do that work in the hearts of men and 
women and boys and girls here and all over the earth today 
as the gospel goes forth, that sinners would look unto the Lord 
Jesus Christ. that they would take Paul's admonition 
to the Philippian jailer, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
you shall be saved. God, we ask that you would do 
that for your glory, you would do that to demonstrate that you 
are, in fact, the true and the living God, that you would do 
that to encourage the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, 
may you Bring glory to your name in the salvation of sinners. 
And for all of us, God, as believers, would you bless us? Would you 
increase our faith? We know at times we don't have 
the courage that we see manifested by David. We don't have the courage 
of an Apostle Paul. And yet, Father, we have the 
same God. So give us grace, increased faith, so that we may walk by 
faith, that we may glorify you in our daily lives, that we may 
take seriously that admonition to shine as lights in this crooked 
and perverse generation. And give us the courage and the 
boldness to hold forth your word of truth. I thank you for my 
brothers and sisters in this local church. I thank you for 
this local church. I pray that you would protect 
us. I pray that you would watch over us. I pray, Father, that 
you would give us grace, with reference to our love for you 
and our love for one another, help us to be prayerful for one 
another each and every day, and help us to encourage and exhort 
one another daily while it is called today, lest we be hardened 
through the deceitfulness of sin. We ask these things through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation. you